All articles by Linda Stewart
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NewsHep E virus can live out entire life cycle in kidney cells
Scientists have succeeded in proving in cell culture that hepatitis E viruses can infect kidney cells and can multiply with their help. The entire replication cycle of the virus takes place in kidney cells in the same way as in liver cells, their study shows.
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NewsStudy reveals engineered bacterial vesicles to combat antimicrobial resistance
Researchers studying extracellular vesicles (EVs)-membrane-bound nanoparticles released by cells that transport biologically active molecules like proteins or nucleic acids have engineered EVs derived from lactic acid bacteria to carry pathogen-specific endolysins on their surface.
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NewsImmune responses to friendly skin microbiota could pave way for novel vaccination responses
For her research into how the immune system responds to the beneficial skin microbiome, Djenet Bousbaine is the winner of the 2025 NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize. Her work reveals a surprisingly sophisticated immune response that could be harnessed for the development of innovative, needle-free vaccination strategies.
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NewsVaccination support program reduces pneumonia-related mortality by 25 per cent among the elderly
Findings based on efforts in Sera Town, Japan showed the pneumococcal vaccination support program reversed the previously increasing trend in pneumonia mortality rate in the community.
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NewsNew study highlights neglected dynamics of coral and algae energy use
A new study has challenged a long-standing oversight in coral reef science, revealing that respiration in corals and algae varies significantly throughout the day, rather than remaining constant. It reveals that respiration rates in reef organisms are highly dynamic, peaking in the afternoon several hours after the height of photosynthesis.
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NewsReview article highlights urgent need for aflatoxin control strategies in Pakistan’s feed supply chain
Scientists say there is an urgent need for aflatoxin control strategies in Pakistan’s feed supply chain to improve animal health, productivity, food safety and exports of animal-based products.
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NewsStudy advances understanding of immune system’s crucial role in phage therapy
Scientists have assessed the effectiveness of phage therapy in treating pneumonia. What they discovered about the mechanisms behind phage therapy could inform treatments in clinical settings to help patients facing similarly stubborn infections.
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NewsAntimicrobial common in everyday items linked to allergic conditions in children
Researchers found that children exposed to higher levels of triclosan may be more likely to develop eczema and allergy symptoms.
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NewsThe gut’s secret weapon: viruses that heal
A comprehensive new review reveals how gut viruses interact with gut bacteria and host immunity, highlighting their roles in conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and C. difficile infection. The findings offer a compelling case for harnessing the virome in novel therapies to reshape gut ecology and restore health.
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NewsResearch opens up new avenue for tuberculosis drug discovery
Researchers studied an enzyme from the TB bacterium called alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (MCR) which helps the bacterium use cholesterol as an energy source. Blocking this enzyme would therefore starve the bacterium of a major food source, helping to treat TB infections.
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NewsStudy yields new insights into infection strategy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown trick used by Pseudomonas aeruginosa - the bacterium can functionally organize itself in diverse ways within a population of identical clones, as if it were not just one germ, but many at once. A mechanism of epigenetic memory preserves the activity of certain genes across generations.
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NewsEngineers develop electrochemical sensors for cheap, disposable diagnostics
Electrodes coated with DNA could enable inexpensive tests with a long shelf-life, which could detect many diseases and be deployed in the doctor’s office or at home.
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NewsNew immunotherapy strategy targets difficult-to-treat brain tumors with gut microbiota
Researchers have demonstrated a new therapeutic strategy that can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy for brain tumors by utilizing gut microbes and their metabolites. This also opens up possibilities for developing microbiome-based immunotherapy supplements in the future.
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NewsSeasonal allergies caused by fungal spores now start three weeks earlier under climate change
Researchers have found that, on average, spore allergy season in the US was kicking off 22 days earlier in 2022 than it had been in 2003.
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News New collaboration harnesses COVID methods to combat multi-billion threat to UK forests
Harnessing methods used to successfully predict and understand the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, a new project aims to combat the impact of forest diseases that can cost the UK economy billions.
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NewsPrebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA
Dietary prebiotics may induce an increase in brain GABA levels through the regulation of gut microbiota, which can be a major point for reducing or even treating these occurrences of certain neurological diseases in individuals.
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NewsScientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance
The ‘molecular machine’ flagellum is essential for bacteria to cause infection, allowing bacteria to ‘swim’ around the bloodstream until finding something to infect. But it could also be a target for antibiotics.
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NewsNovel flu vaccine adjuvant improves protection against influenza viruses, study finds
Influenza hemagglutinin subunit vaccines are more effective and offer better cross protection against various influenza virus challenges when combined with a mucosal adjuvant that enhances the body’s immune response, according to a study.
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NewsPair of malaria parasite proteins could lead to targeted therapies
Scientists have made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.
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NewsResearch suppresses coronavirus by targeting Mac1
A new study details the vulnerability of coronaviruses to inhibitors of a small protein domain called Mac1, or the “macrodomain,” found in all coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV.